COMMUNICATING SUSTAINABILITY

a few things on our radar

First, a simple carpet cmpany:

 

 

 

Plus design:

 

living climate change + a video challenge

Ideo is an exceptional design and thinking company. Blown away by their nimbleness, their vision, their exceptional way of letting design thinking creep into all things. Their site is wonderful and will jumpstart your thinking.

Ideo's Living Climate Change site is simply inspiring. It offers a way for us to explore, read, think out loud. In beautiful terms.

Go now.

And more good news: the living climate change video challenge invites "you to show your vision of a future shaped by climate change, as we move along the path toward reduced carbon emissions." Deadline is May 25, 2010.

Taste of IDEO:

3 incredible TED talks on sustainability

Worldchanging.com founder Alex Steffen on humanity's ecological footprint. Accessible, easy explanations, compelling. 2005

Ray Anderson on business logic and sustainability, billing himself as a "recovering plunderer". A sincere, logical talk that reminds us how business has opportunity to make real change. 2009

William McDonough speaks on cradle-to-cradle design and looks to how we would design and consumer if everything was built with all children, all species in mind. His thinking asks us to shift our thinking. Remarkable.

the university as living example of sustainability

Our discussions on true sustainability in a complex world are the catalyst for this post. Certainly universities become platforms for great thinking in the area. Look at The College Sustainability Report Card and the long list of evidence that change starts on campuses. Certainly we can see what's happening on campuses around the sustainable/green context: University of Oregon's multiple centers -- leadership, practice, business, law, environment -- tell a strong story. Portland State University's multimillion dollar grant and sustainable thinking is noteworthy. Look at Arizona State University's School of Sustainability or any of dozens of university sites that discuss their campus mission. We know that universities talk about and think about the practice of environmental sustainability because it resonates with their students and stakeholders. It's part of the energy of a campus.

But I believe there's a more valuable relationship between the university platform and sustainability philosophy. Pull the lens back, look at sustainability from a macro approach to understanding the topic.

Here's my thought: if there is one good concrete exemplar of sustainability in its broadest form, it is the university itself. Using the framework that sustainability thinking concerns the social, cultural, economic and environmental issues affecting how we treat and connect to future generations, then the remarkable evidence of the university is sustainability made real. Theory and thinking move knowledge forward. Clustered disciplines drive cultural and economic values. The work of today is built around the understanding of yesterday and leads to the discovery of tomorrow. The university is the keeper of the intellectual flame for humankind. The brick-and-mortar and virtual libraries, the theorists keeping/connecting/growing, the students flourishing: all are proof of our existence.

How do universities -- especially the University of Oregon, focus of my efforts -- leverage this generalized approach to sustainability to better the environmental green thinking that we know is important? That may be by reminding all stakeholders that we're already involved in the great effort of sustainable thinking, and that compiling further efforts gives a powerful voice to incremental efforts.If we reimagine how the concept of sustainability impacts lives and thinking, we give stronger voice to the work of saving stuff, changing the game.

5 :: green and sustainable inspiration

First, let me remind all readers that the heroes here are the bloggers to the right. Some are still finding their voice but their curiosity have led them to some very interesting moments. Check out Verdant Ethics, Think Sustainably, Summers, Living Green, Green Machine as some smart thinking.

Second, an interesting video showing what happens to our recycling from here in Eugene. Our conversation keeps moving from Thinking -- what we're reading and using for inspiration -- to what we're Doing. How do we make messages unless we understand process and life cycle? Where's our place in the process of water bottle thrown to the side in this video (as example)?

4 :: things I read today that we should be talking about

The beauty of attention focusing, especially when the matter at hand is so overwhelmingly important. Twitter delivered a couple of important high notes.

1 :: Alex Bogusky gave us this:

"Seems that we humans needs to be pushed to edge of the precipice before we change. We haven't been very good as a..." on twitter from @bogusky which included a link to this. One of the most interesting things I've heard Bogusky say is that advertising + brand folks needs to stick their noses in issues and brands that demand change. "We can be gamechangers because of our skills." 

2 :: treehugger lists green jobs

And the big questions is: what constitutes a green job? There's even a Journalism Internship posted in the list. Which of course leads to this announcement from President Obama on a new Green Jobs initiative via clean energy technology jobs by adding $2.3 billion in tax credits "to companies that manufacture wind turbines, solar panels, cutting-edge batteries and other green technologies." What regions of the country will be key players in this green economy?

3 :: greenwashing

Though a few months old, this USA Today article  entitled "Green claims by marketers go unchecked" reminds us that the FTC can take companies that ignore the so-called "Green Guides" to court and seek fines to reimburse consumers. It just doesn't happen that often and only if the greenwashing is flagrant and actionable.

3 :: deep dive into sustainability + green thinking

Since our class is focused on green brands, we know we have to understand some deeper thinking on green science, sustainability thinking, and cultural shifts grown by these movements. Our deep dive continues through this week with our push on the Green Strategies Matrix and in developing a reading/resource list.

I'm pouring through some great reads:

 

A few observations: notice the typography and color palettes for this collection. Understated and cool, a definite pattern. Each of these books are written by gurus who've claimed substantial thought leadership in interesting parts of the broad environmentalism movement, with the exception of Goleman who is more about multiple intelligence theory and how we connect as humans. Maybe that is ultimately the greatest form of sustainability.

We'll be collecting resources, websites, people, and -- as we finally arrive at some sense of where we are -- connect those to brands and brand thinking. Meanwhile, I'm reading these books and the blogs to the right. There's much to be said and shared.

2 :: gerzema on crisis = opportunity

We watched this TED talk today in class featuring John Gerzema of Y & R. I'm impressed with the number of important connections to our deep dive for understanding sustainability, green, and associated trends. He notes four important trends important to any discussion of brand strategies:  MINDFUL CONSUMPTION, ETHICS & VALUES as IDENTITY, a new POST-CRISIS CONSUMERISM based on transparency and accumulation of knowledge, and a RETURN to COMMUNITY. Worth watching.

1 :: a manifesto for reinvention

As our term begins, our mission with the new Green Brand Strategies class is to reinvent how we solve problems. This applies to the brand and advertising world we work in. But, importantly, it is also applicable to the broader culture we live in. As citizens, we have a responsibility to do work that benefits the world at large. As professionals, we make our name, stake our integrity on the work we produce. This class seeks to use our powerful tools of persuasion to benefit brands and clients, as we become leading citizens in doing the right thing. Look at leaders such as Saatchi S and Enviromedia. They thrive on bringing their passion for a sustainable world to the workplace. Passion and expertise make great companions.

And that's the first day of class.

My manifesto offers five areas for our journey together:

1 -- Become transparent + strategic communicators. Find truth in what the brand and your thinking is. Use it as a smart weapon. Using what we learn of Green and Sustainable Thinking, let's reinvent how we approach problems. Let's educate clients, as well as ourselves. Let's inspire our collaborators. Let's do something important.

2 -- Advocate for blue thinking. As Werbach noted in his 2008 Birth of Blue speech, "Blue is a platform for sustainability that goes beyond the deep beautiful green of environmentalism. Green puts the planet t the center of the dialogue. Blue puts people at the center." Though controversial to some, the idea of people and planet as tandem goals works for me as a strategy.

3 -- Do inspiring work. This is all for naught unless we can muster the creative power to make the messages engaging and compelling. Look to BBH for the Vaseline work, as one example of human-based message that flow with an environmental approach. This is not an easy area, but good work can grow from the best thinking. Let's find those examples. This is a beginning and should be used as our baseline. What is good out there?

4 -- Be entrepreneurial. Find ways of creating new thinking and new opportunity for yourself and your profession. Read through trend reports, understand how agencies declare a mission or find the right people. Be the captain of your ship.

5 -- Lose your fear. The great Rishad Tobaccowala, while speaking last November as one of our Richard Ward Executives in Residence, was interviewed for the TALK project. When asked what he had lost (one of the prompt questions, Rishad said, "I have lost my fear." This is an amazing declaration. It is inspiring to think that we -- as professionals, as citizens, as humans enaged in the day-to-day -- might lose our fear, can use our passion as a tool, our failures as platforms for the next brave adventure. Let us lose our fear. Thanks, Isaac Viel, for your good work on that project.

Onward we go.